Roosevelt police are investigating an incident that left several people covered in pepper spray.
On Thursday after a football game between Union and Uintah high schools, police said a group of people began to perform a ceremonial Polynesian dance to honor players from the Union team.
The people began performing, but were blocking an exit as team players and game officials attempted to leave, police said.
Two Roosevelt officers and some school officials tried to provide an exit but failed. Then officers used the pepper spray, according to a news release from the police department.
Several people were reported to have been affected by the spray. Police said many people in the crowd knew the group was going to dance but others, including the two officers, didn't.
Zach Aguiniga, who was at the game to watch one of his younger brothers play, said people were standing by the field entrance and as the players got closer, the group began to sing and dance. "As we're there watching, we could hear the cops say, 'make a hole,' " Aguiniga said. "But they were in the middle of their dance, and if anyone knows the haka dance, they're loud and talking in unison."
All of a sudden, Aguiniga said, the cops started pushing, and out came the pepper spray. "They [the dancers] were confused as to what was going on, and so was everybody else," Aguiniga said.
Some people reported being hit with police batons.
Police are asking anyone with information on what happened and those wanting to file a complaint to contact Chief Rick Harrison or Detective Pete Butcher at the Roosevelt Police Department on 255 S. State St. Alt Heads:
Police use pepper spray to disperse dancers after high school football game
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